Armed Forces: Commemoration

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to ascertain the names of those military personnel who are known to have been killed in the Republic of Ireland during the period 1919-23 for the purpose of their commemoration.

Lord Astor of Hever: Details about service personnel who died during the period 1919 to 1921 are held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: however, they do not indicate where the individual died. The names of those who died after 31 August 1921 are not held.

Armed Forces: Mine-resistant Vehicles

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Ranger mine-resistant vehicle; over what timescale; and what conclusions they have reached as to its utility for service in Afghanistan.

Lord Astor of Hever: No assessment of the Ranger vehicle has been carried out by the Ministry of Defence. While Ranger is comparable in size and weight to the Mastiff and Ridgeback vehicles deployed in Afghanistan, it was not available when competitions were run for these capabilities. The department does not currently have a requirement for another vehicle of this size. In the event that future operational requirements are identified for a vehicle of its type, the Ranger could be considered, and assessments carried out, alongside other vehicles of a comparable capability. Ranger was put forward for the light protected patrol vehicle requirement, but was significantly too heavy for the capability. If the Ranger is the subject of export interest the Ministry of Defence will be ready to consider assistance in the usual way.

Armed Forces: Retired Officers

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many retired officers are employed as regimental secretaries of their former regiments; what is the average pay for such appointees; and whether they will continue to make such appointments of retired officers to assist with the long-term aftercare of the families of those killed in action and those injured in recent and current conflicts.

Lord Astor of Hever: Regimental secretaries may be either retired military officers or Ministry of Defence civil servants from the Military Support Function. There are 128 such appointments as at August 2010 incurring a cost of approximately £34,000 each (including salary, pension and national insurance contributions).
	These personnel are used to provide essential support to Army Regiments. The main emphasis is on the provision of welfare support to the families of bereaved and injured personnel, support to families of service personnel during overseas deployments, fostering community links and providing support to officer and soldier recruiting. This support is needed while the soldier is serving and continues long after he has left the Army.
	The Army takes its responsibility to its personnel (both serving and retired) and their families very seriously and does not underestimate the support provided by the Regimental system. The Army is looking to deliver its outputs in the most effective and efficient way possible, but there are no plans for support and aftercare services to be reduced.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many service personnel are currently based in Scotland; what is their assessment of the contribution made by those personnel to their local economies; and how many will be based in Scotland when the Strategic Defence and Security Review proposals are fully implemented.

Lord Astor of Hever: According to Table 2.2 of Defence Statistics 2010, on 1 April 2010 there were 12,070 service personnel based in Scotland. While the Ministry of Defence does not routinely compile or hold estimates of the impact on local economies of defence sites, regional impact assessments are carried out when closures to bases are being considered.
	Work is now in hand to produce the detailed plans necessary to implement the recommendations of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). Decisions will not be made until spring 2011 at the earliest, and in some cases not until later in 2011. Full implementation will then take several years. It is therefore too early to say how many service personnel will be based in Scotland following full implementation of the SDSR.

Aviation: Security

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings at ministerial level have been held with the British Airline Pilots Association in the last six months to discuss airline and airport security; and how many such meetings are planned for the next six months.

Earl Attlee: The Minister of State for Transport met the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) on 18 November as part of a meeting with the Trades Union Congress. She also met BALPA as a part of the National Aviation Security Committee on 29 November.

British Council: Funding

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they make available to the British Council for the promotion of the English language overseas; and whether this funding will be sustained over the next five years.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The British Council is an executive non-departmental public body, which operates at arm's length from Government and decides its own spending priorities. It was allocated the following grant in aid funding during the Spending Review:
	2011-12-£180 million;
	2012-13-£171 million;
	2013-14-£162 million; and
	2014-15-£154 million.
	It is reviewing the implications of the spending review settlement and has not yet reached a decision on what impact the reduction in grant in aid will have on English language promotion overseas.

Child Trust Fund

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of continuing with the child trust fund on the basis of a £50 voucher for each newly born child.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate has been made of the effect in terms of unemployment on the current providers of cancelling the child trust fund.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of the calculation that cancelling the child trust fund will save £500 million.

Lord Sassoon: The Government announced in May 2010 that government payments to child trust funds would reduce and then stop.
	Government payments at birth were reduced by the Child Trust Funds (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2010, which were made in July 2010. The Savings Accounts and Health in Pregnancy Grant Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will end eligibility for child trust funds for children born from January 2011 onwards, and therefore end the remaining government payments.
	At the Budget in June 2010, the Government set out the expected Exchequer savings from this measure, as shown in the following table:
	
		
			 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 £320 million £540 million £550 million £560 million £560 million 
		
	
	The savings in 2010-11 are lower than for later years because the changes are being made part of the way through the year.
	The £540-million Exchequer saving in 2011-12, the first full year of savings, divides approximately as follows:
	£220 million in respect of payments of £250 for every child at birth, and £70 million for additional payments of £250 to children from lower income families; and£190 million in respect of payments of £250 to children turning seven, and £60 million for further payments of £250 to children from lower income families at age seven.
	The estimated cost of continuing child trust fund payments with a £50 voucher for each newly born child is £40 million a year. This figure assumes that there would be no additional payments to children from lower income families, and does not take account of administrative costs.
	The Government have made no estimates of the effect on employment at existing child trust fund providers as a result of the changes set out above.
	However, existing child trust funds will remain in place, and the Government will introduce a new tax-free savings account for children born after the end of child trust fund eligibility. The Government are also working closely with existing child trust fund providers to look for ways of easing the financial impact on them. Regulations have been laid that will allow providers to choose not to accept new child trust fund business, while continuing to operate their existing child trust fund accounts. The Government also intend to relax the requirements for annual statements on child trust fund accounts, so that providers will not be required to send statements for all accounts.
	The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) provided an updated assessment of prospects for the UK economy on 29 November 2010. This forecast incorporated the OBR's assessment of the impact of policy changes announced in the spending review. The OBR's forecast for employment is at the UK level and is therefore not produced to the level of detail requested in this Question.

Commonwealth Telecom Development Fund

Lord Steel of Aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the establishment of the Commonwealth Telecom Development Fund.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We currently have no plans to support the Commonwealth Telecom Development Fund.

Dunfermline Building Society

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 18 November (WA 226-7), what are the total costs to date paid to the joint administrators of the Dunfermline Building Society; and what are the hourly rates charged by the joint administrators.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 18 November (WA 226-7), what are the total and particular costs expended to date in relation to the rescue of the Dunfermline Building Society (DBS) and the DBS bridge bank; what amount of those monies has been repaid; and what estimate they are making of HM Treasury's requirement on the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to contribute to such costs in accordance with the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Lord Sassoon: On 30 March 2009 the Bank of England transferred part of Dunfermline Building Society (DBS) business to Nationwide Building Society (NBS) and part to a bridge bank wholly owned by the Bank of England. The Bank then subsequently placed the remaining business of DBS into the Building Society Special Administration Process (BSSAP).
	KPMG was appointed as the administrator and it publishes six-monthly progress reports which include full details of costs charged by KPMG to DBS. The progress reports are available from the KPMG website at http://rd.kpmg.co.uk/WhatWeDo/18300.htm.
	Between 30 March 2009 and 30 July 2010 the remuneration fee paid to KPMG was £13.4 million for its work as administrators.
	In relation to the details of the financial support provided by the Treasury to support the resolution of DBS and the costs incurred by the DBS Bridge Bank, I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answers I gave on 28 October 2010 and 8 November 2010.
	In accordance with the Financial Services Market Act 2000 the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is required to contribute to the costs of the DBS resolution. The FSCS's contribution is capped at what it would otherwise have paid out if the authorities had not stepped in and DBS had been left to go into a conventional administration. This cap is to be calculated by the DBS independent valuer (Mr Ian Burns of Smith and Williamson) and his work is still in progress.

Economy: Quantitative Easing

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government where the cost and income in respect of funding and receiving income under quantitative easing appear in national accounts.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Myners, dated November 2010.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking Her Majesty's Government where the cost and income in respect of funding and receiving income under quantitative easing appear in national accounts (HL4443).
	The costs and income associated with quantitative easing appear in the sector and financial accounts for the financial corporations sector. Under international conventions for national accounts, the central bank is included within monetary financial institutions (a subset of financial corporations), rather than central government. So quantitative easing transactions carried out by the Bank of England and its subsidiaries appear in the data for the financial corporations sector.

Egypt

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Egypt about the situation of the country's Coptic minority, and, in particular, the burning of 22 Coptic homes on 15 November.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of a number of reports of violence involving Christians and Muslims in Egypt. The incidents appear to have arisen due to mixed-faith relationships or commercial or land disputes that have taken a sectarian turn. We have raised the importance of creating tolerance between the Christian and Muslim communities with the Egyptian Government. For example, during the universal periodic review of Egypt in June, we encouraged further efforts by the Government of Egypt to promote cultural and religious tolerance. We continue to monitor the situation with a view to raising this issue as part of our dialogue on human rights with Egypt.

Energy: Biofuels

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy that plans for increased use of European biofuels may accelerate climate change and adversely affect food production.

Earl Attlee: The Institute for European Environmental Policy report, commissioned by environmental non-government organisations, was published on 3 November 2010. We are considering this report, along with other evidence including research commissioned by the Government, as part of our policymaking in this area.
	The Government takes the issue of biofuel sustainability seriously. The renewable energy directive and fuel quality directive contain mandatory sustainability criteria for biofuels. These include that biofuels must deliver a greenhouse gas saving of at least 35 per cent, and must not be sourced from areas of high biodiversity, or from high=carbon soils (such as rainforests or wetlands).
	The European Commission (EC) has recently consulted on whether and how indirect land use change (ILUC) should be addressed. The UK Government responded to the consultation, arguing that the analytical work is compelling in showing that emissions from ILUC are significant compared to the potential emissions savings from biofuel use. The UK then called on the EC to take action to address ILUC.
	The EC is now required to report on the ILUC impacts of biofuels by the end of the year, which we expect to include a response to the EC's consultation.

Energy: Carbon Reduction Commitment

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place between Department of Energy and Climate Change officials and port operators since the proposed changes to the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) allowances under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme were announced; and what future discussions are planned.

Lord Marland: The Government announced that they were not proceeding with revenue recycling on 20 October. On 17 November we published a consultation document on amendments to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme Order-principally delaying the start of the second phase. Since these announcements DECC officials have been engaged with a wide range of industry and public sector organisations including port operators on both the detailed proposals in the consultation and the wider review to simplify the CRC further. DECC officials are meeting the UK Major Ports Group in December to seek its views on simplification.

Energy: Carbon Reduction Commitment

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Carbon Reduction Commitment applies to port operators where their tenants' businesses already have climate change agreements.

Lord Marland: The position of ports regarding their tenants is no different from any other industrial, commercial or public sector landlords under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. Where a landlord supplies a tenant, this energy counts towards the landlord's CRC assessment.
	The CRC is intended to provide incentives for energy efficiency and reducing demand for energy. One of the barriers to the uptake of energy efficiency measures has been the landlord/tenant split. The CRC addresses this by making the landlord responsible for the emissions in CRC where the landlord is responsible for the energy supply as is the case with some ports. The CCA status of a tenant is irrelevant when considering a landlord's liabilities under the scheme.

Energy: Carbon Reduction Commitment

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they decided to change their guidance regarding exemptions for businesses in the climate change agreement (CCA) scheme from the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC); why the guidance changed; what is their forecast of how much this further policy change will cost per year for electricity users who have CCAs now they have to cover the cost of CRC.

Lord Marland: The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme started in April 2010. Under the scheme there are some exemptions for scheme participants with climate change agreements. The CCA exemption threshold was included to minimise the administrative burden on participants. The guidance on the CCA exemption has not changed since the start of the scheme.
	The Government have made clear their desire to simplify the regulatory regime they inherited from the previous Administration, including both the CRC and CCA schemes, so that energy efficiency can be incentivised cost effectively.

Energy: Carbon Reduction Commitment

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the private sector of the decision to retain the estimated £1 billion per annum revenue raised from the sale of Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) allowances under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme; how the figure of £1 billion was achieved; and whether the 6,000MWh threshold is to be reduced to raise £1 billion per annum.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how the levying of a Carbon Reduction Commitment tax will help the private and public sector to grow in the economic downturn.

Lord Marland: The Government decided not to proceed with the recycling of CRC revenues proposed by the previous Administration in order to support the public finances and contribute to the spending plans set out in the spending review. The decision has the additional benefit of creating a clearer price signal in the scheme which participants have asked for.
	The clearer and stronger price signal provided by this change should reduce uncertainty and administrative costs while maintaining energy efficiency measures among participants and the commensurate savings in energy bills.
	The spending review 2010 policy costings document1 sets out the impact on government expenditure of not recycling the revenue to participants. A positive figure indicates a saving compared to previous plans, corresponding to the revenue expected to be generated from allowance sales each year.
	
		
			 Year 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) +£716 million +£731 million +£995 million +£1020 million 
		
	
	These estimates are based on significant assumptions, particularly with respect to the quantity of emissions covered by the scheme and the uptake of energy efficiency measures within the sector. The figures are based on a 6000MWh threshold. We will not know the CRC emissions coverage accurately until participants have submitted their emissions data in July 2011.
	The Government have committed to keeping the operation of this scheme under active review with a particular eye to simplifying it and ensuring it properly incentivises those who do most to improve energy efficiency and have begun a consultation with CRC participants on what further steps can be taken to simplify the scheme.
	1 http://www.hm-treasurv.gov.uk/spend_sr2010_policycostings.htm

EU: Scrutiny Reserve

Lord Roper: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the reason for the override of the Scrutiny Reserve Resolution, at the European Council on 29 October, in respect of the initiative of the Government of France to amend the status of Saint-Barthélemy with regard to the European Union.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We mistakenly did not recognise this issue as one likely to emerge as an inter-institutional document as defined by the committees' terms of reference and judged that it did not require scrutiny when this issue was discussed in Brussels over the summer. When a final document was issued as a formal communication from the Commission submitted to the council, the Cabinet Office consulted the staff of the committees on 25 October about whether the document should be deposited in view of the fact that there would be no direct impact on the UK. This consultation resulted in the document being deposited for scrutiny and an Explanatory Memorandum was then commissioned. The UK agreed to the change in status at the October European Council, as there were no direct implications arising from this decision for the UK that resulted in the override. The Government take parliamentary scrutiny very seriously and will take steps to ensure that this does not happen again.

Flooding: Cornwall

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional financial support to Cornwall to cope with the consequences of floods; whether more financial resource will be made available to Cornwall to make necessary flood prevention investment; and whether an inquiry will be established to review the lessons to be learned from the floods.

Lord Henley: The Government stand ready to consider what additional support is required if the scale overwhelms local responders. The Department for Communities and Local Government will consider any applications for Bellwin assistance from the local authorities affected. Qualifying costs typically covered by the Bellwin scheme include: costs of evacuating people from dangerous structures and works to make them safe; temporary rehousing; and initial repairs to and the clearing of debris from highways, pavements and footpaths.
	The management of railway infrastructure is a matter for Network Rail. Decisions on assessing the damage to tracks in Cornwall and for repairing that damage are for Network Rail. Once Cornwall and Devon have assessed the damage to any bridges caused by the flooding, we will of course be happy to discuss the best way forward with local councils.
	The Association of British Insurers has put advice on its website. It has said that insurers' first priority will be to ensure that every claim is dealt with as quickly as possible and that they will be doing everything possible to help their customers to recover. Insurers are providing advisory leaflets to local people.
	Flood defence funding and flood and coastal erosion risk management are priority areas for Defra. As a result of the investment that the Government are making, it is expected that better protection to 145,000 households will be delivered by March 2015.
	Annual budgets are yet to be finalised and therefore it is not possible to discuss individual projects at this stage. Funding for future schemes will be announced in due course.
	We will review what happened with partners to see if lessons can be learnt about the future handling of such incidents.

Gift Aid

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether and when proposals to reform gift aid will be published.

Lord Sassoon: Representatives from the charity sector have been working with officials on HM Treasury's Gift Aid Forum to consider a number of options for reform. Their report was submitted on 13 October. The report and the Government's initial response are expected to be published on the Treasury website in December.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the names of all unpaid advisers to Ministers in the Ministry of Justice.

Lord McNally: There are no unpaid advisers to Ministers in the Ministry of Justice. Special advisers, whether paid or unpaid, are employed under the terms and conditions set out in the model contract for special advisers. Unpaid advisers are appointed in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs 3.2 to 3.4 of the Ministerial Code.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the names of all unpaid advisers to Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Eamonn Donaghy, head of tax at KPMG Belfast, Dr Graham Gudgin, senior research fellow at the Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge and senior economic adviser with Oxford Economics, and Victor Hewitt, director of the Economic Research Institute of Northern Ireland (ERINI), have acted as unpaid advisers to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the names of all unpaid advisers to Ministers in HM Treasury.

Lord Sassoon: There are no unpaid special advisers to Ministers in HM Treasury. For information on special adviser numbers and costs I refer the noble Lord to the Prime Minister's Written Ministerial Statement on 28 October (Official Report, Commons, col. 18-23WS).

Government: Photography and Film

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assignments Mr Andrew Parsons has been on to take photographs of the Prime Minister, or any other minister, since being employed by the Cabinet Office.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Andrew Parsons carried out the following assignments while being employed by the Cabinet Office:
	photographing the Deputy Prime Minister with the British Youth Council;photographing the Deputy Prime Minister-preparing for PMQs;photographing Baroness Warsi meeting US ambassador;photographing the Deputy Prime Minister meeting the Turkish President;photographing Baroness Warsi in her office;photographing the Deputy Prime Minister meeting students;photographing the Prime Minister with the Lebanese Prime Minister; photographing the Prime Minister at the UK-France summit; photographing the Foreign Secretary with the Lebanese Prime Minister; andphotographing the Deputy Prime Minister with the Lebanese Prime Minister.

Government: Photography and Film

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assignments Ms Nicky Woodhouse has been on to film the Prime Minister, or any other minister, since being employed by the Cabinet Office.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Nicky Woodhouse filmed the Civil Service awards, which were attended by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Home Secretary and the Deputy Prime Minister. Ms Woodhouse also recorded a podcast with the Deputy Prime Minister and had oversight of production on a video of Central Surrey Health for a big society event.

Government: Photography and Film

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements have been put in place for the Prime Minister, or any of his ministers, to be photographed or filmed by individuals employed by the Civil Service following the departure of Mr Andrew Parsons and Ms Nicky Woodhouse.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Existing Cabinet Office staff are taking photographs and filming. Other departments will have their own arrangements in place.

Gypsies and Travellers

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of "local and historic demand", the new benchmark for site provision for Gypsies and Travellers.

Baroness Hanham: We are working up our planning policy for Traveller sites. We have announced our intention to revoke and replace Planning Circular 01/2006 with new short, light-touch policy and guidance, subject to necessary impact assessments. The details of our proposed policies will be set out in a full public consultation.

Health: Community Pharmacies

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to prevent primary care trusts decommissioning community pharmacy services.

Earl Howe: The latest statistical bulletin General Pharmaceutical Services-England 2000-2001 to 2009-2010, for the year ending 31 March 2010, shows that primary care trust (PCT) commissioning of local enhanced services from community pharmacies has, overall, continued to grow, with 29,526 such services in 2009-10 compared to 26,970 in 2008-09.
	Nonetheless, I am aware of the concerns expressed recently by national pharmacy organisations about the possible decommissioning of such services and have asked officials to advise me further of any emerging evidence.
	We have made clear through our NHS White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS that we want pharmacists to have an important and expanding role in optimising the use of medicines and supporting better health. Our forthcoming public health White Paper will set out our commitment to further developing their contribution to improve health and well-being and reduce health inequalities. In addition, PCTs are to publish their final pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) by 1 February 2011 following local consultation. PNAs, closely aligned to joint strategic needs assessments, are to be a strategic planning tool on which future commissioning decisions for effective local community pharmacy services which demonstrate good patient outcomes are to be taken.
	A copy of the statistical bulletin has been placed in the Library.

Homelessness: Rough Sleepers

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of rough sleepers are from the A10 countries.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their forecast of the effect of the end of transitional arrangements for migrants in May 2011 on the number of rough sleepers.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the role of the cross-ministerial group on homelessness in addressing the needs of homeless migrant populations and in particular migrants from the A10 countries.

Baroness Hanham: In 2009-10, 26 per cent of London's rough sleepers were from A10 countries according to the CHAIN database. DCLG does not hold detailed information on the rest of England but is aware that rough sleeping by central and eastern Europeans is an issue in some other areas.
	It is not possible to forecast with certainty the effect of ending transitional arrangements for A10 migrants on rough sleeping numbers, as this will depend on different people's detailed circumstances. We will continue to monitor numbers once the transitional arrangements end.
	The ministerial working group is chaired by the Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, and brings together eight Ministers from across Whitehall. It aims to prevent and tackle homelessness. The issue of rough sleeping by A10 migrants, and how we can build on the work already being done by the UK borders authority to support areas with particular problems, is being considered by the group.

Housing

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to halt the impact upon long-standing village populations of the lack of affordable housing for families on lower incomes.

Baroness Hanham: In the spending review, we announced almost £4.5 billion investment in new affordable housing to deliver up to 150,000 affordable homes. However, we are giving housing associations much more flexibility on rents and use of assets, so our aspiration is to deliver even more homes through our investment and reforms.
	We will be including in the localism Bill provisions to give local communities new right-to-build powers, enabling them to deliver small-scale development without the need for a separate planning application. By following a simplified neighbourhood planning process, these powers will enable communities to respond quickly to changing development needs. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Andrew Stunell) launched on 18 October the Home on the Farm scheme. In it he asked that local planning authorities in rural areas with high demand for affordable homes to consider amending their existing planning policies to make it easier for disused farm buildings to be converted into affordable homes. The new homes bonus, subject to consultation, will provide an additional incentive to reward the building of affordable homes.

Housing: Council Houses

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of income new council tenants will be allowed to earn before having to relinquish their tenancy.

Baroness Hanham: The Government propose to provide local authority landlords with freedom to offer fixed-term or lifetime tenancies to new tenants. Local authorities will be expected to set their own policies for the award of tenancies of different types. There will be no changes to the security and rights of existing social tenants. These proposals are subject to consultation and a copy of the policy paper has been placed in the Library of the House.

Immigration

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils studying full time at an independent school affiliated to the International Schools Council have subsequently become illegal immigrants.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government do not collect this information. Matters relating to illegal immigration are a matter for the Home Office and the United Kingdom Border Agency.
	Since the dismantling of embarkation controls it has not been possible to estimate accurately the number of people, such as students, who have overstayed their limited leave to enter or remain in the UK.
	The wider immigration programme, contained in The Coalition: Our Programme forGovernment, published on 20 May, includes a commitment to support e-Borders and reintroduce entry and exit checks.

Immigration

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the change from the present transitional arrangements to "habitual residence" will affect (a) A8 migrants already in the United Kingdom, and (b) A8 migrants who arrive after May 2011.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The worker registration scheme must end no later than 30 April 2011. On its termination, A8 nationals' rights of residence as workers will no longer be linked to registration under the scheme. This will be the case irrespective of whether the A8 worker arrived before or after the date on which the scheme ends or whether the individual is currently registered under it at that point in time.
	Once the scheme has ended, A8 nationals will be treated in exactly the same way as other EU nationals. EU nationals, including A8 nationals, who make a claim for income-related benefits, social housing and homelessness assistance or housing support will be subject to the habitual residence test.

Immigration

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many candidates for immigration have a GCSE or International GCSE in English.

Baroness Neville-Jones: We do not hold statistics on the numbers of migrants who have a GCSE or International GCSE in English when they apply for or are granted immigration leave.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Israel's withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar and the implications of this move for the future of the Golan Heights.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We welcome the Israeli announcement that they intend to withdraw troops from the northern part of Ghajjar. As I said in my statement of 18 November this is a positive development, and a sign of progress in the region. We call on Israel and the UN to work together to agree practical measures to implement this proposal as soon as is possible. It is important to note that there are a number of other issues still outstanding. We call on all sides to fulfil their full responsibilities under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and would welcome progress on the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP), including on an Israel-Syria peace deal, which would address the occupation of the Golan Heights.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 11 November (WA 127), what assurances concerning Gaza and East Jerusalem the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs received from the Prime Minister of Israel during his visit on 2-4 November.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made it clear during his recent visit to the region that we want to see an end to all settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This includes East Jerusalem. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary also discussed the situation in Gaza with Prime Minister Netanyahu, underlining that we welcome the steps that Israel has taken thus far to improve access but believe that further measures are needed.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 2 November (WA 389), whether the Ambassador of Israel was able to assure the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs that no further attempts would be made to alter the population of occupied East Jerusalem; and, if not, what further representations they will make.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made it clear during his recent visit to the region that we want to see an end to all settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This includes East Jerusalem. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary also discussed the situation in Gaza with Prime Minister Netanyahu, underlining that we welcome the steps that Israel has taken thus far to improve access but believe that further measures are needed.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel asking for the simplification and coordination of the various agencies responsible for check-points on the boundary between Israel and the West Bank.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We agree that Israel's system of check points and the processes for moving through them are confusing and frustrating. This applies both to check points between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to check points within the West Bank, which seriously impede freedom of movement for Palestinians. We are also concerned at the way check points are used to change facts on the ground. In particular we are concerned about increasing restrictions on West Bank Palestinians seeking to access East Jerusalem.
	The noble Lord may be aware of reports that Israel plans to transfer overall responsibility for the operation of check points to the Crossing Points Administration (CPA). It is too early to judge what effect this will have on the daily lives of Palestinians needing to pass through check points, but early indications are not entirely positive. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and raise with Israel the importance of easing restrictions on movement and access for ordinary Palestinians.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of a three-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank, and in particular its value if such a freeze does not apply to East Jerusalem.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has made clear we want to see a halt to all settlement activity.
	A renewal of the earlier freeze, which excluded east Jerusalem, could be a helpful step forward enabling the continuation of direct talks, which are necessary to secure peace.

Israel: Shebaa Farms

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current state of negotiations over the Shebaa farms on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Lord Howell of Guildford: UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought an end to hostilities in southern Lebanon in 2006, called on the UN Secretary-General to develop proposals to deal with areas of disputed territory including the Shebaa farms. The area continues to be occupied by Israel. It has been difficult to make any progress towards delineation of the border between Israel and Lebanon in the absence of agreement between Lebanon and Syria on the demarcation of their border. We urge all parties concerned to work with the UN to solve this dispute.

Justice: Compensation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will restore the discretionary scheme for compensation to prevent the suffering of victims of miscarriages of justice that do not qualify under the statutory scheme.

Lord McNally: The discretionary compensation scheme was abolished on 19 April 2006 by the then Home Secretary and the coalition Government have no plans to reintroduce it. We will continue to consider applications for compensation under the statutory scheme, Section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, which fully meets our international obligations.

Legal Aid

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the judicial review regarding the export of sodium thiopental to the United States by Edmund Zagorski and Ralph Baze is funded under the legal aid scheme; and in what circumstances foreign residents are entitled to legal aid.

Lord McNally: Legal aid has been granted to Edmund Zagorski to bring judicial review proceedings regarding the export of sodium thiopental to the United States. Ralph Baze has also received a legal aid certificate in connection with these proceedings.
	Civil legal aid is available to individuals who are not resident in the UK, subject to the statutory means and merits tests, and provided that that their case is within the scope of the legal aid scheme. Civil legal aid is restricted to matters of English and Welsh law and to proceedings taking place in the courts of England and Wales.

Local Authorities

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authority council seats were uncontested in each of the past six years.

Baroness Hanham: This information is not collected by the Government.

National Information Governance Board

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to abolish the National Information Governance Board for England and Wales; and, if so, what alternative arrangements are planned for NHS Information Governance.

Earl Howe: Following a review of the department's advisory non-departmental public bodies, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State announced, on 14 October 2010, his intention to abolish the National Information Governance Board (NIGB). It is anticipated that the NIGB's statutory functions will transfer to the Care Quality Commission, and that other advice the board currently provides will in future come from within the department, or other bodies.

NHS: Funding

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an analysis has been made of the cuts being made to NHS frontline services.

Earl Howe: National Health Service funding is not being cut. Allocations to primary care trusts this year (2010-11) rose by 5.5 per cent and the recent Spending Review committed that NHS funding would rise in real terms in each of the following four years. However, the constrained rate of growth in funding means that efficiency savings of up to £20 billion will be required over the next four years in order to meet rapidly rising demands and improve the quality of care. The NHS is responding to this challenge through the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme, by identifying new ways to increase productivity and efficiency while delivering better quality services to patients.

NHS: Internet

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of NHS internet bandwidth capacity is taken up by NHS staff during their working hours for personal, non-NHS use.

Earl Howe: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained, if at all, at disproportionate cost. National Health Service bodies take a pragmatic approach to allowing staff to use information technology services for personal reasons. This is governed by locally determined and applied appropriate-use policies.

North Africa

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support recent proposals for a Mediterranean security committee supported by European Union countries which would help take steps towards greater democracy in the Maghreb countries.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government support efforts to improve co-operation in the Mediterranean region, which we believe will lead to greater stability and security. We also work through the European Union to strengthen institutions supporting democracy and the rule of law in the Maghreb countries, including through European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument funding and European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Sutherland of Houndwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the medals to be awarded at the 2012 Olympics will be designed by British craftsmen or craftswomen.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Limited (LOCOG) is responsible for medals for the London 2012 Games. As a private company, the costs of the medals will be met from LOCOG's privately-financed budget.
	Earlier this year, LOCOG initiated a process to seek UK artists to submit potential designs for the London 2012 medals. The results will be announced next year.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Sutherland of Houndwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the medals to be awarded at the 2012 Olympics will be manufactured in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Limited (LOCOG) is responsible for medals for the London 2012 Games. As a private company, the costs of the medals will be met from LOCOG's privately-financed budget.
	Earlier this year, LOCOG placed the contract opportunity for the production of the medals on CompeteFor, the online service for firms across the UK to bid for London 2012 contracts. LOCOG is unable to restrict aspects of contracts by geography in its tendering process, as that would give rise to competition law issues. However, LOCOG promoted the opportunity to the UK production industry to ensure that the best of UK companies were in a position to bid for the work. LOCOG is in the final stages of the tender process and will make an announcement when this is concluded. So far, 98 per cent of 2012-related contract opportunities have gone to UK-based firms.

Parking Fines

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authorities have (a) not applied for, (b) applied for but not received, and (c) applied for and been refused, civil parking enforcement powers under the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Earl Attlee: Of a total of 327 eligible local authorities in England, 271 have civil parking enforcement (CPE) powers, including all the 34 London local authorities. Of the 56 local authorities without CPE powers, one has applied for the powers and will be receiving them in December 2010. The Secretary of State has never refused an application for CPE powers.

Post Office: Banking

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the value of funds deposited by the Post Office with Irish banks; and what guarantee individual depositors in the Post Office have from the British Government.

Baroness Wilcox: I have asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the noble Lord with regard to the value of funds deposited by the Post Office with Irish banks and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Library of the House.
	A UK subsidiary of the Bank of Ireland-Bank of Ireland (UK) plc-was created on November 1. This means that Post Office products under the joint venture with the Bank of Ireland are now regulated through the Financial Services Authority and come under the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in line with other UK banks and building societies.

Rome: Embassies

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they require two embassies in Rome.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The United Kingdom, along with 178 other states, maintains full diplomatic relations with the Holy See, and recognises the Pope as a Head of State. The United Kingdom maintains separate embassies to the Republic of Italy and to the Holy See, as it is the diplomatic practice of the Holy See not to accept cross-accreditation of ambassadors to these two appointments.
	Due to security concerns, the embassy to the Holy See relocated in 2005 to the UK's Porta Pia compound in Rome, which also houses our embassy to the Republic of Italy. The two embassies are located in separate buildings on this site. As well as providing necessary security benefits, this relocation has also enabled the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to make some resource savings in terms of back-office functions.
	More information on the UK's relationship with the Holy See is available on the Holy See country profile on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Website.

Russia

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what occasions they have discussed with the government of Russia the impact of their military operations in the north Caucasus, particularly with regard to the abuse of human rights found by the European Court of Human Rights and the security measures applied by President Kadyrov in the Chechen Republic in terms of the provocation of regional and global terrorism.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government raised the impact of Russia's policies and human rights performance in the North Caucasus at senior official level at our annual bilateral human rights consultations on 14 January 2010. We highlighted that apparent impunity for those that breach human rights or attack human rights defenders may foster an environment in which such attacks are perpetrated. We plan to discuss this with Russia again at the next consultations in early 2011. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary also stressed the importance of human rights, the rule of law and ending the culture of impunity when he met Foreign Minister Lavrov during his visit to Moscow on 13 October 2010. Russia is aware of our concerns, and we will continue to engage with Russia on these issues-at Ministerial level, through our Embassy in Moscow, and through our representation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Social Care Funding

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the new social care funding system on the elderly.

Earl Howe: We have asked an independent commission to make recommendation on how to achieve an affordable and sustainable funding system or systems for care and support for all adults in England, both in the home and other settings. It is due to report next year.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Smith of Leigh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the need for social housing over the period of Spending Review 2010; and how they intend to meet that need.

Baroness Hanham: The department does not forecast levels of future housebuilding, and delivery will be determined by local housing plans. In the spending review we announced investment of over £6.5 billion in housing. This includes over £2 billion to make existing social homes decent and almost £4.5 billion investment in new affordable housing to deliver up to 150,000 affordable homes. We are giving housing associations much more flexibility on rents and use of assets, so our aspiration is to deliver as many as homes as possible through our investment and reforms. On 22 November we published our consultation document Local Decisions: A Fairer Future for Social Housing, which set out our plans for radical reform of the social housing system. We will be publishing further details on affordable rent in the new year.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 16 November (WA 200), what proportion of the 0.1 per cent increase above inflation in health spending in each year of Spending Review 2010 will cover current expenditure.

Lord Sassoon: As set out in the Spending Review document, the Department of Health's settlement includes a 1.3 per cent increase in real terms in the resource budget over the Spending Review period, which is equivalent to an average annual real growth rate of 0.3 per cent.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 16 November (WA 200), what proportion of the estimated £20 billion of efficiency savings in health spending will be spent on current expenditure.

Lord Sassoon: While the Government have protected NHS spending, the NHS will need to make efficiencies to deal with rising demand from an ageing population and the increased costs of new technology. These savings will be reinvested to support patient care.

Sudan

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of preparations for the referendum on the future of Abyei, Sudan; and what discussions they have held with Sudan on the future of Abyei.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are deeply concerned at the lack of progress towards the Abyei referendum. We have urged both Sudanese parties to reach urgent resolution of the impasse and will continue to do so. We are supporting the ongoing mediation talks, including on Abyei, facilitated by President Mbeki and the African Union.